The Long Way Home
by fmapreshwab
Summary: Set immediately after the events of Ki'ilua.  On his way home, Steve starts to wonder if his too-good-to-be-true rescue could be real.
1. A Time to Think, A Time to Mourn

A/N: This story is set at the end of the episode Ki'ilua, wherein Steve runs off to North Korea because he'd do anything for a friend. This is just a scene I think was missing from the end of the episode, and, if it was a two-hour show (if we start a petition, I think we can make it happen), totally would have been included. I don't own the characters or the established plot, just this one little segment. Friends don't let friends get sued.

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><p>Steve McGarrett sat in a small, rusty helicopter several miles off the ground. He didn't know where it had come from, or how it had found him, but he didn't care. All that mattered was that the chopper was full of friendly faces in a dangerous land. As they flew over the DMZ and back into the almost-friendly area of South Korea, Steve looked out over the fields and forests and wondered how any of it could be real.<p>

The pain was real. He knew for a certainty that the pain which had followed him from the bunker to the truck to the chopper had to be real. He knew that the bunker had been real, and the truck Wo Fat had stuffed him in. But the rest…. How had his team found him all the way out here? How had they stopped Wo Fat? Part of him knew that his team, his friends, would do anything to save him from the deranged criminal, but the rest of him insisted that even if they did know where he was, which they hadn't, there was no way they could have taken on all the armed Koreans he had seen loading the trucks.

Steve wanted to shake the thoughts away, but his head hurt too much. Instead, he looked up at Danny's confident smile and nodded, determined that everything would be okay.

The helicopter took them to a small airport in Seoul, and as they exited, Joe said a few words to the pilot. Steve watched the bird lift slowly back into the air and take off in the direction from which they had come, back to the farm from which Danny had told him it originated. That, at least, explained the smell the helicopter had carried with it.

Danny walked with Steve into the bathroom of the airport, supporting his weight and keeping him on his feet. Danny grinned as he told Steve he should probably clean up before they boarded the next plane. Danny's stifled groan as he half-dragged Steve into the bathroom sounded real, his tense muscles beneath Steve's arm felt real, but once again Steve was plagued with doubt.

As he looked up into the mirror, Steve splashed the first handful of cold water over his face, and it stung. The blood dribbled down his chin, and Steve and Danny were left to count the cuts and bruises on his face, each silently vowing to make Wo Fat pay for every mark, every crack, every moment of captivity.

Steve probably could have walked out to the main hall of the airport on his own, but Danny refused to leave his side, and, really, it was easier to get around with Danny's support. Coming back into the hall, Steve and Danny were surrounded on both sides by their team. Steve noticed Joe's smile and averted gaze, and Chin and Kono's grins as they passed by. As Steve and Danny passed her, Laurie lowered her eyes to the floor.

When they reached the door which would lead them out to the plane Joe had somehow managed to get for their return, Steve slowed to a stop and straightened, letting Danny take more of his weight to keep him on his feet. The members of Seal Team Nine who had accompanied his friends stood in a row next to the door. The three men stood rail-straight, heels together, eyes on the far wall, saluting proudly. Steve turned slowly, trying desperately not to limp as he did so. He raised his arm, ignoring the pain from the likely broken ribs on his right side.

As their arms dropped, the Seals looked at Steve and smiled. They crowded around him with their congratulations and their questions, but their commander stepped in. "The man's been through a lot boys. How about we try this when we set down?" He winked at Steve before leading the men away, and Steve and Danny continued on to the plane, their friends following behind.

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><p>The team settled into the seats in the forward cabin, preparing for a well-earned rest during the long flight home. At first, they wanted to hear about Steve's mission, how things had started, when he had realized it had been a trap. "Only if you're ready," Danny had said, his eyes reinforcing the concern in his voice. Steve told his story, up to the point that Wo Fat had captured him and he had realized Jenna had lied.<p>

When he stopped for a moment, Kono told him their story, of the reporter who had been used to lure Jenna to Korea, then killed as a loose end. Steve could see the anger and betrayal in the eyes of his friends, and he couldn't help seeing Jenna's eyes as she died, so filled with rage and fear.

Steve continued his story, giving them the details of Jenna's capture, the lengths she had gone to trying to help him escape, her death. As he pulled her necklace from his pocket, Kono looked away with shame and tears in her eyes. Chin's jaw tightened as he turned to look out the window, trying to hide the pain all over his face. Laurie looked down, shaking her head.

Danny simply tightened his grip on Steve's arm, staring at the necklace and trying to swallow his rage. She had lied to them, she had betrayed them, but Jenna had been one of them, and Wo Fat had taken her away. "I'm sick of losing to him," Danny said under his breath, just loud enough for Steve to hear. "Never again, do you hear me?"

Steve turned and looked into Danny's eyes. He nodded, then relaxed back against his seat.

The rest of the flight was passed in silence. Some slept; some stared out the windows, trying not to think; some just say, staring at nothing, lost in their own thoughts. Soon there would be a time for celebration and joy, but for now, they would remember, they would mourn, and then they would try to forget.

Never once on the long flight home did Danny's hand leave Steve's arm. It was no longer there in support, but protection. Danny needed to know that Steve wasn't going anywhere, needed to keep him near. To Steve, the warm, strong hand on his arm was the only thing that could convince him that this was real, that he was really going home.

Ignoring everyone around him, Steve put his head on Danny's shoulder and tried to get some sleep.


	2. To Sleep, Hoping Not to Dream

A/N: So, I thought that after that first chapter, I was done with this. I was wrong. As per last time, this story is set at the end of the episode Ki'ilua, wherein Steve runs off to North Korea because he'd do anything for a friend. However, it bears now a warning for slight slash (nothing graphic, promise). I don't own the characters or the established plot, just this one little segment. Friends don't let friends get sued.

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><p>Even with his eyes closed, as Steve woke from his restless sleep, he knew something was wrong. He kept his eyes closed lightly for the benefit of anyone who might be near as he tried to pin down what, exactly, was setting off the danger alarm in the back of his head.<p>

H assessed the situation blind, not an unfamiliar practice, trying to determine what had changed. He was no longer on the plane; he could tell from the sounds and smells around him that he was moving through the jungle, but the wooden planking beneath him didn't belong to his or any of his friends' cars. For a moment, he tried to convince himself that he had been moved to the back of Joe's truck, but the echo of the muffled sound and the stillness of the air were all wrong.

None of this, though, had been what had alerted him to the danger of his situation. His blood seemed to chill in his veins as he realized that the strong, reassuring hand was gone from his arm; Danny had left him.

Facing the risk, Steve opened his eyes to see a dark world of drab green canvas all around him. The truck barreled over a bump in the road, and Steve was tossed in the air like so much luggage. Pain screamed through his sides as his broken ribs settled back into place. Steve looked down at his broken body, around at the old military truck, and felt the confusion evaporate, a cold and deadly certainty gripping his heart.

It really had been too good to be true. The rescue he had thought he had received was the product of his fevered, broken mind, and Steve cursed himself for not knowing better, for allowing himself to hope. "No." He had meant it as a scream, but the word escaped only as a broken whisper, his throat too raw and damaged to give voice to anything more.

As he felt the truck shudder to a halt, Steve stared desperately at the canvas flap covering the opening to the compartment, willing Danny's face to pop into view with his comfortable, familiar grin. The cover stirred, and for a moment Steve's heart leapt into his throat.

But it plummeted back into his stomach as he realized what was happening. The face which filled the small opening, while familiar, filled Steve with a combination of rage, despair and fear he would never admit to. This face was dark where Danny was light, cold where Danny was full of warmth, stone where Danny, though he would never admit it aloud, was all too soft. His smile was cruel and held the promise of the horrible things to come.

"Commander, I was just about to go for a walk. Would you care to join me?" Wo Fat held out his arm to pull Steve to his feet and lead him out of the truck.

Steve tried valiantly to spit in the man's face, but he couldn't summon the strength. The bloody spittle dripped down his face, though, and the message was clearly received. Wo Fat's smile disappeared as he grabbed Steve's arm.

"Now, now, Commander. You should know by now that I won't take no for an answer."

As Steve stepped out into the sunlight, stumbling on his injured legs and cut, bare feet, and nearly collapsing under his own weight, he tried to take in the scene around him. It was difficult at first as his eyes, grown used to the dim light let into the truck, adjusted to the near-blinding direct sunlight, but he could see that all three of the trucks had stopped. Some of the soldiers had left their seats in the vehicles and were milling around the clearing into which the caravan had pulled. It seemed not much was happening, and, in fact, the most interesting thing Steve saw as he glanced around was the gun in Wo Fat's belt.

The man led him shambling forward to a path which would lead them away from the clearing. As they traveled slowly through the oppressive jungle, Steve's mind raced through countless scenarios, trying to imagine a means of escape, but none presented itself.

Steve refused to acknowledge the fatalistic sense of dread gripping his stomach. He tried not to think of Danny and his team and all the promises he wouldn't be able to keep.

Without warning, Wo Fat hit him from behind, dropping Steve to his knees. Slowly walking a circle around him, Wo Fat took the gun from his belt and began to speak, the chilling smile returning to its place.

"You know something, Commander? I liked Hawaii. I had a fantastic arrangement with Governor Jameson, my business was flourishing, I didn't think anyone could touch me. After I had your father killed, I thought I was unstoppable. I grew complacent, and it took and inconvenience like you for me to see the…error of my ways. I want to thank you for that. But not nearly so much as I want to destroy you and everything you've ever loved. Since you won't be around to see it, I'm going to do you a favor and tell you exactly what comes next."

Wo Fat paused a moment, standing behind him, and laughed a little, something Steve had never heard before. It was a dark, manic sound. "First, as I'm sure you've concluded on your own, I kill you here in this jungle. Then, after a few more days of preparation, I make my triumphant return to Hawaii. That starts with the deaths of your team and anyone foolish enough to get close to them." Standing in front of Steve now, Wo Fat paused again. Steve could see in his eyes that he was picturing the ways in which he would kill the people in his way.

"Ah, but then? Then I pay a visit to Governor Denning and find out what sort of financial arrangement he feels he is entitled to." Wo Fat's face grew serious as he considered this, still pacing his slow, lazy circles around Steve. "He will be more expensive than Jameson at first, but I'm confident we will find a good balance in time." Wo Fat looked down at Steve. "Why, Commander, you look surprised. Denning was her second-in-command for years; did you really think he didn't know about me?" He laughed his sadistic laugh again, and it made Steve's skin crawl.

"Now, you may ask yourself, why would I tell you all this?" Wo Fat finally stopped his infernal circling and came to stand in front of Steve, the smile wider than his face should have allowed. "It's simple, Commander. I want you to know what is going to happen. I want you to know the suffering that will continue long after you are gone. And I want you to know that you could have stopped it. I am offering you a way out, one last chance to save yourself and your friends." Wo Fat shrugged offhandedly. "I may even leave Hawaii alone for a time. All you have to do," he said, cocking his gun and dropping his smile, "is to tell me what you know about Shelburne."

Steve glared up at the madman, knowing there was nothing he could do to save his friends and his home. Hell, he couldn't even save himself.

Wo Fat matched his glare as he looked down on Steve with disgust, shaking his head. "You're far more stubborn than your father was." He pulled the trigger.

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><p>Steve bolted upright in the darkness, his eyes wild and his bare chest covered in a cold sweat. He sat that way for a long time, until the panting stopped and his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He found an easy comfort in the familiar walls of his bedroom. The memories came rushing back, and he knew that he was safe.<p>

Steve had expected to be plagued by the nightmares, he had known them before fro countless missions he chose not to think about, but he had never imagined that they would be so vivid, so real.

Realizing that he was home, that he was safe, that he and his team had beaten Wo Fat's plans and escaped the hell of North Korea, he felt a boundless joy filling his bandaged chest. He couldn't stop the laughter swelling up from deep inside.

Steve was still laughing as he fell back against his mattress, eliciting a deep groan from the warm lump beside him on the bed. A hand reached out and grabbed his arm. "You okay?" The voice was groggy and slurred.

Steve grinned up at the ceiling, unable to turn onto his injured side. "I'm fine, Dano." He chuckled.

Danny groaned again, rolling over to lay an arm lightly around Steve's waist. "Then shut up and go back to sleep, you maniac."

Steve laughed again, sliding an arm around Danny. Making a mental note to start looking into Denning in the morning, Steve drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.


End file.
